Eric Ebron will carry teams to fantasy football championships

With the news that Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle suffered a season-ending kidney injury, Eric Ebron will be the one to step in as the starter down the stretch.

With Ebron taking over a massive role in an offense that loves to use the tight end position, there is a chance the former first-round pick will be carrying teams to fantasy football championships this season.

Finding consistent production amid the porous tight end landscape this season has been a difficult task. Outside of maybe two tight ends in fantasy, most options have been extremely volatile.

Ebron is no different, but he will now step into a role that almost guarantees production. The research shows that Ebron should in a perfect situation to finish the season as one of the top tight ends in fantasy football.

Having that type of advantage at the tight end position will do wonders.

The biggest knock on Ebron’s fantasy value was his snap count with Doyle in the lineup. In the five games in which Doyle was fully healthy, Ebron averaged a snap count of 34.3 percent.

While Ebron has been able to produce at an extremely efficient rate despite the low snap totals, the numbers are staggering when Doyle isn’t in the lineup.

When the latter missed five games due to a hip injury, Ebron stepped in as the starting tight end. In games that Doyle missed, Ebron averaged a snap count of 72.7 percent on offense.

In addition to the likely uptick in snaps, Ebron has been a red zone monster for quarterback Andrew Luck. Ebron’s 18 targets inside the 20-yard-line are tied for the sixth-most in the NFL.

Meanwhile, his nine receiving touchdowns in the red zone are tied for the most in the league.

The 25-year-old tight end has been a favorite target for Luck in the red zone, but now the Colts are going to be forced to use him between the 20s as well, especially seeing as he’s currently the only tight end on the roster not dealing with an injury.

Currently the No. 3 tight end in non-PPR formats, Ebron is primed to be a top-three tight end the rest of the way.

Doyle’s absence may hurt the Colts offense down the stretch, but it will also likely mean Ebron leads his fantasy managers to a championship in 2018.

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